Page 11 of Safe With You

His photo sat beside a short bio I suddenly wasn’t paying nearly enough attention to. Deep brown skin, warm eyes, a clean low cut, and a beard trimmed neatly along his jaw. There was an easy confidence in his expression, like he knew exactly who he was and didn’t need to convince anybody else.

I stared for half a second too long before catching myself.

Nope.

Absolutely not.

We needed a photographer. Whether or not the photographer happened to be fine had absolutely nothing to do with me.

I clicked over to the contact page before Naomi could come back and catch me staring at his picture. His email address and booking information were easy to find, and before I could second-guess myself, I started typing.

Hi Ellis,

My name is Luna Bennett, and I’m the owner of Chapter & Charm Bookstore downtown. Naomi Carter recommended your photography services for an event we’re hosting tomorrow evening.

We’re having an open mic poetry night from 7–10 PM on Tuesday and are looking for event coverage throughout the evening. If you’re available, I’d love to discuss pricing and details further.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,

Luna Bennett

I reread the email twice before hitting send.

“There,” I muttered, locking my phone. “That’s professional.”

Naomi looked up from behind the espresso machine immediately. “You contacted him?”

“Yes.”

“Lemme see.”

“No.”

“Luna.”

“You are way too invested in this.”

She grinned without shame. “Because your dating life has been giving absolutely nothing for years.”

“My dating life is not your business.”

“It became my business when you decided emotional isolation was a personality trait.”

I stared at her flatly. “You rehearse these speeches at home?”

“Sometimes.”

I laughed despite myself. Naomi always had a way of pulling reactions out of me even when I wanted to stay in my own head.

The bookstore slowly filled as the afternoon went on.

A mother and daughter wandered through the children’s section near the back. Two college students sat near the café sharing a muffin while pretending to study. Somebody in fiction dropped an entire stack of paperbacks loud enough to make half the store look up at once.

That was probably why I loved Chapter & Charm as much as I did.

There was safety in knowing what to expect.